But even Walters became a bit emotional when Winfrey introduced 25 female broadcast journalists from every major news network, all of whom she influenced. These women, including Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Joan Lunden, were to be her legacy, she said.

"I was teary," Walters told ABC News after their appearance on the show she founded 17 years ago. "But I wasn't going to cry because I was really very happy."

In all, the entire program was as close to perfect as she could have imagined.

"There's no such thing as perfect but I can't think of anything that was lacking," she said. "It was unexpected! I did not expect Hillary Clinton to show up. I did not expect all of these women in broadcasting to be there. They all had to take time out of their day. I did not expect Oprah Winfrey to leave Chicago, with everything she has to do and come here. So, it was not just unexpected.